The Best Travel Credit Cards With No Annual Fee

A travel credit card allows you to swipe your way to discounted travel and vacations.

Travel credit cards enable you to earn points and miles on everyday spending, which you can then redeem for discounted airfares, hotel stays, rental cars and much more.

Many cards charge annual fees to hold them, ranging anywhere from $50 to $695 per year. While not cheap, some of these premium travel credit cards offer perks that are easily double the value of their annual fee.

However, not everyone wants to pay a fee. If you’re an infrequent traveler, a points and miles beginner, or simply want to maximize rewards while minimizing costs, a travel credit card with no annual fee could be what you’re looking for.

Let’s take a look at the best credit cards with no annual fee. We’ll also consider the benefits of the best no-annual-fee credit cards, the best rewards, as well as a strategy for maximizing your points with a no-annual-fee travel card.

Best No-Annual-Fee Travel Credit Cards for 2024

Here’s an overview of the best no-annual-fee travel credit cards.

Bank of America Travel Rewards Credit Card

The Bank of America Travel Rewards credit card earns a competitive 1.5X points on all purchases. This makes it a great card for those taking their first steps into the world of points and miles or those who want a card that can earn them points on spend categories that aren’t covered by other cards.

It’s also has no foreign transaction fees, allowing you to spend abroad with freedom and earn points doing so.

If you’re a Preferred Rewards member, you’ll be able to earn between 25% to 75% more points on your purchases.

To become a Preferred Rewards member, you need to open a Bank of America checking account and maintain a three-month average combined balance of at least $20,000 across your Bank of America checking and/or Merrill investment accounts. The higher your combined average balance, the higher your point earning rate will be. This could allow you to earn anywhere from 1.87X points to 2.62X points on all purchases.

The main drawbacks of this card are its lack of travel and purchase protections, limited range of bonus spend categories and its limited options for point redemption.

Pros

• Earn 1.5X points on all purchases.
• Preferred Rewards members will earn 25% to 75% more points on every purchase.
• No foreign transaction fees

Cons

• No purchase protections or travel insurances are included
• No bonus category earning rates
• No cardholder perks
• Limited point redemption options: either gift cards or statement credits

BiltMastercard®

The Bilt Mastercard® is one of its kind among both annual fee and no-annual-fee cards.

Its unique feature is that it enables you to pay your rent via the Bilt app and earn 1X Bilt Point per dollar in rewards up to 100,000 points per calendar year (see rewards and benefits). And if you turn on BiltProtect, the rental payment funds will be pulled directly from a linked bank account, preventing your credit utilization ratio from increasing.

Typically, landlords either charge a large transaction fee on credit card payments or don’t accept them in the first place. Bilt enables you to pay your landlord, regardless of whether or not they accept credit cards, by offering alternative payment methods, such as checks, as well as by absorbing any transaction fees.

This not only enables you to earn up to 100,000 points on rent per calendar year, it also allows your rental payments to be reported to the major credit bureaus if your rental property is part of the Bilt Alliance property network.

In addition to these features, you’ll earn double the normal bonus category earning rates on the day you pay your rent, meaning you can earn 6X points on dining, 4X points on travel and 2X points on other purchases.

Points earned with Bilt can be redeemed for partner redemptions with 12 airlines and two hotels, as well as through the Bilt travel portal.

The only downside to this card is that you need to use it a minimum of five times within each statement period, otherwise you’ll lose your accumulated points.

Pros

• 3X points on eligible dining purchases
• 2X points on eligible travel purchases
• 1X point on rental payments paid through the Bilt app (up to a maximum of 100,000 points per calendar year)
• Point earning is doubled on the day you pay your rent with 6X points on dining, 4X points on travel and 2X points on other purchases (excluding rent).
• Trip Cancellation and Interruption Protection
• Trip Delay Reimbursement
• Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver
• No foreign currency conversion fee

Cons

• Your card must be used a minimum of five times during a billing cycle, otherwise, you’ll lose your points.
• No welcome bonus

Capital One VentureOne Rewards Card

The Capital One VentureOne Rewards card offers a flat rate of 1.25X miles on every purchase. On top of this, you’ll earn 5X miles on hotels and rental cars when you book them via Capital One Travel.

The combination of this high base earning rate on all purchases plus the bonus category rate for travel purchases makes this card highly competitive for a no-annual-fee card. Additionally, it doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees and it includes rental car and travel insurance.

This makes it a lucrative card for the traveler, infrequent or occasional, rewarding everyday expenditure as well as Capital One travel purchases, all while charging nothing in foreign transaction fees.

Capital One also has up to 18 airline and hotel transfer partners, with strong point transfer ratios.

The only downside of this card is its lack of variety when it comes to bonus spend categories.

Pros

• Earn 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
• Earn 1.25X miles on all purchases
• No foreign transaction fees
• Rental car and travel insurances included

Cons

• Limited range of bonus spend categories

Chase Freedom Flex℠

The Chase Freedom Flex card offers 5% cash back on quarterly rotating purchase categories up to $1,500 in combined quarterly purchases, activation required. It also offers 5% back on travel purchases through Chase Ultimate Rewards, as well as 3% on drugstore purchases and dining.

For a $0 annual fee, these bonus category rates are highly competitive. They also enable you to earn on non-typical spend categories, such as drugstore purchases, making this an excellent card to have in your wallet to maximize your point-earning capability.

Being a Chase card, the Freedom Flex earns Ultimate Rewards, which are one of the most valuable point currencies you can hold.

Chase Freedom Flex card also includes partner discounts on DashPass and Instacart+ memberships, as well as a range of travel insurances.

The main downside to this card is the 3% foreign transaction fee.

Pros

• 5% on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards
• 5% cash back on combined purchases totaling up to $1,500 in bonus categories each quarter you activate the bonus
• 3% on dining, inclusive of takeout and eligible delivery services, as well as dining at restaurants
• 3% on drugstore purchases
• 1% on all other purchases
• Receive a three-months complimentary DashPass membership, giving you unlimited deliveries with a $0 delivery fee as well as a discounted service fee on eligible orders with DoorDash and Caviar. Thereafter, receive 50% off DashPass for the following nine months (must activate by Dec. 31, 2024).
• Receive three complimentary months of Instacart+ membership, giving you unlimited deliveries with a $0 delivery fee and a discounted service fee on eligible orders. Thereafter, earn $10 in monthly statement credits toward membership (enrollment required by Jul. 31, 2024).
• Range of travel insurances included, such as trip cancellation/delay insurance

Cons

• Foreign transaction fee of 3%
• Limited cardholder perks

Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card

If you’re looking for one of the best no-annual-fee airline credit cards, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better one than the Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card.

This card earns 2X miles at restaurants worldwide and is free of foreign transaction fees (see rates and fees), allowing you to earn maximum points when abroad.

You’ll also earn 2X miles on direct purchases made with Delta, as well as receive a $50 discount on flights for every 5,000 miles you redeem through Pay with Miles when you book through delta.com. You’ll save 20% when using your card on eligible inflight purchases of food and beverages on Delta flights, issued as a statement credit.

The only feature missing from this card is Delta-related flight perks, such as priority boarding or a “first checked bag flies free” policy, as offered by other cards.

Pros

• Earn 2X miles at restaurants worldwide, as well as on takeout and delivery in the U.S.
• Earn 2X miles on direct purchases with Delta.
• Earn 1X mile on all other purchases.
• Receive a $50 discount on flights for every 5,000 miles you redeem through Pay with Miles when booking via delta.com.
• Save 20% when using your card on eligible Delta in-flight purchases of food and beverages, issued as a statement credit.
• No foreign transaction fees

Cons

• Limited range of Delta flight-related perks (no priority boarding, free first checked bag, etc.)

Hilton Honors American Express Card

If you stay at Hilton when you travel and are looking for credit cards with no annual fee, the Hilton Honors American Express Card (see rates and fees) could be a great match for you.

It earns 7X points at hotels and resorts belonging to the Hilton portfolio, as well as 5X points on a range of everyday purchases. It also includes complimentary Hilton Honors Silver status, giving you the following perks:

• 20% Elite Status Bonus
• Two free bottles of water at check-in (at participating hotels)
• 15% off at the spa during an all-inclusive stay
• Fifth night free during reward stays
• Elite rollover nights

The card is also has no foreign transaction fees (see rates and fees), enabling you to spend and earn abroad.

The drawback of this card is that Gold status requires you to spend a minimum of $20,000 within a calendar year. Likewise, point transfers to airline partners have a poor transfer ratio.

Pros

• Earn 7X points for eligible purchases at hotels and resorts belonging to the Hilton portfolio.
• Earn 5X points on dining at U.S. restaurants, including takeout and delivery.
• Earn 5X points on groceries at U.S. supermarkets.
• Earn 5X points on gas at U.S. gas stations.
• Earn 3X points on all other purchases.
• Complimentary Hilton Honors Silver status included
• No foreign transaction fees

Cons

• Point transfers to airline partners have poor transfer rates.
• No free night promotions
• Hilton Honors Gold status is only available after you charge $20,000 to your card within a calendar year.

IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card

If stays at IHG hotels and resorts feature in your travel plans, the IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card could suit you.

You’ll earn 17X points on purchases at IHG hotels and resorts, as well as 3X points on dining, utilities, select streaming services and at gas stations.

The card comes with complimentary Silver Elite status, no foreign transaction fees and a fourth night free when you book a consecutive three-night hotel stay with points at IHG properties.

Just as with the Hilton Honors card, the IHG One Rewards Traveler card requires you to spend a minimum of $20,000 with your card within a calendar year to reach Gold Elite status. Similarly, point transfer ratios to airline partners are also poor.

Pros

• Earn 17X points at IHG hotels and resorts.
• Earn 3X points on dining, utilities, select streaming services and at gas stations.
• Earn 2X points on all other purchases.
• Complimentary Silver Elite status.
• Receive the fourth night for free when booking a consecutive three-night hotel stay with points at IHG properties.
• No foreign transaction fees.
• Trip cancellation/interruption insurance included

Cons

• Gold Elite status requires you to spend $20,000 with your card within a calendar year.
• Poor rates for airline transfer partners

Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card

If you’re looking for a $0 annual fee business card, the Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card could be a great card match for you.

It offers a flat rate of 1.5% unlimited cash back on every business purchase. This enables you to offset the cost of your business expenditure on every purchase.

You can issue employee cards for free and earn cash back on their expenditures.

The main drawback of this card is the limited range of perks and bonus spend categories, plus the foreign transaction fee of 3%.

Pros

• 1.5% unlimited cash back on every business purchase
• Fraud protection
• Free additional employee cards
• Earn 5% cash back on Lyft rides until March 2025.

Cons

• Foreign transaction fee of 3%
• Limited perks for the cardholder

United Gateway℠ Card

The United Gateway℠ Card earns 2X miles on purchases with United, including qualifying inflight purchases, as well as 2X miles on a range of everyday spend categories. This makes it ideal for both the frequent or infrequent traveler, giving you flexibility as to how you earn points.

When you’re abroad, you won’t have to worry about foreign transaction fees when using the United Gateway card.

You’ll also enjoy exclusive benefits at The Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection, such as early check-in, late check-out and daily breakfast for two (subject to availability).

The disadvantage of this card is the lack of airline-specific perks such as priority boarding or a “first checked bag flies free” policy.

Pros

• Earn 2x miles on United purchases.
• Earn 2x miles at gas stations.
• Earn 2x miles on commuter purchases such as train tickets, rideshare services, taxicabs, tolls and mass transit.
• Earn 1X mile on all other purchases.
• Receive 25% back on purchases of food, beverages and Wi-Fi onboard United-operated flights and on Club premium drinks, issued as a statement credit.
• No foreign transaction fees
• Enjoy exclusive benefits at The Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection, such as daily breakfast for two, a special benefit unique to each property, complimentary Wi-Fi, a room upgrade and early check-in and late checkout (all subject to availability).
  Receive a complimentary DashPass membership for one year (thereafter, membership will be charged at the standard rates; enrollment required).

Cons

• Limited range of airline-specific perks such as priority boarding or free checked bags

U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Visa Signature® Card

The U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Visa Signature® Card offers one of the highest bonus category rates on dining purchases, coming in at 4X points per dollar spent. It also offers bonus category rates on a variety of everyday purchases.

Points can be redeemed directly through U.S. Bank for discounted hotel stays, air travel and more. This card is also free of foreign transaction fees, allowing you to continue spending and earning points while abroad.

The only drawback to this card is that U.S. Bank has zero transfer partners, meaning points can only be redeemed via their portal.

Pros

• Earn 4X points on dining, takeout and restaurant delivery.
• Earn 2X points at grocery stores, gas stations, EV charging stations and on grocery deliveries and streaming services.
• Earn 1X point on all other purchases.
• Receive a $15 credit for streaming purchases such as Netflix, Apple TV+, Spotify and other providers.
• No foreign transaction fees

Cons

• No transfer partners

Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card

The Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card earns a competitive 2% cash back on all purchases.

This high base-earning rate across all purchases makes it one of the most competitive $0 annual fee cashback cards and a useful one to keep in your wallet.

You’ll also gain access to certain benefits at hotels belonging to the Visa Signature Luxury Hotel Collection.

The downsides of this card are the foreign transaction fee of 3% as well as the lack of transfer partners for redemption opportunities.

Pros

• Earn 2% cash back on all purchases.
• Access to benefits at hotels belonging to the Visa Signature Luxury Hotel Collection

Cons

• Foreign transaction fee of 3%
• No transfer partners for redemption opportunities

Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card

The Wells Fargo Autograph Card enables you to earn 3X points on a wide range of everyday purchases including dining, travel, streaming services, phone plans, transit and gas.

This card is free of foreign transaction fees and also grants you exclusive benefits at hotels belonging to the Visa Signature Luxury Hotel Collection.

The downside to this card is that you can only redeem points for travel, statement credits or gift cards through Wells Fargo, rather than being able to transfer them to hotel and airline partners.

Pros

• Earn 3X points on dining, travel, gas, transit, streaming services and cell phone plans.
• Earn 1X point on all other purchases.
• Enjoy benefits at hotels belonging to the Visa Signature Luxury Hotel Collection.
• No foreign transaction fees
• Rental car insurance and travel insurance included

Cons

• You can’t transfer points to hotel or airline partners.

Wyndham Rewards Earner® Card

The Wyndham Rewards Earner® Card is great if you’re a regular guest at Wyndham hotels.

With this card, you have the potential to earn a welcome bonus, which can cover you for up to four free nights at certain Wyndham properties.

You’ll earn 5X points on purchases at Wyndham hotels and receive a 7,500-point bonus every anniversary if you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases. That 7,500-point bonus could cover another free night at certain Wyndham properties.

This card comes with complimentary Gold status, offering perks such as free WiFi, preferred room selection and late checkout. It’s also free of foreign transaction fees.

As with most $0 annual fee hotel credit cards, you can expect less than optimum point transfer ratios when transferring Wyndham Rewards to airline transfer partners.

Pros

• Earn 5X points on Wyndham hotels.
• Earn 5X points on gas purchases.
• Earn 2X points of dining and grocery purchases.
• Earn a 7,500-point bonus every anniversary when you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases (enough to cover one free night at certain properties).
• Redeem 10% fewer Wyndham Rewards points for go free® awards.
• Receive complimentary Gold status, with perks such as free WiFi, preferred room selection and late checkout.
• No foreign transaction fees.

Cons

• Poor transfer rates to airline partners

How Do Travel Credit Cards With No Annual Fee Work?

Travel credit cards earn you a specific rewards currency every time you make a purchase. The rewards currency is either in the form of points or miles. For example, American Express uses Membership Rewards points while Chase uses Ultimate Rewards points.

These rewards points can then be redeemed through the card issuer’s online portal for a variety of travel-related purchases, from discounted vacation bookings to flights and hotel stays.

There are different types of travel credit cards to choose from.

Airline travel credit cards typically earn you miles for direct purchases with the airline, as well as on partner and alliance member-operated flights (depending on the card). These miles will go toward the airline loyalty program, allowing for discounted travel and award seat booking. Some airline cards also come with premium benefits, from priority boarding to airline lounge access.

Hotel travel credit cards function much the same as airline cards, but instead earn you points toward the specific hotel’s loyalty program. Premium benefits can include elite status perks, free upgrades upon arrival, luxury experience credits and much more.

General travel credit cards can include a mix of bonus earning rates on certain spend categories, as well as premium benefits with partners.

Some travel credit cards charge an annual fee while others are free to hold.

Typically, the higher the welcome bonus, category spending rates and monetary value of the combined perks are, the higher the annual fee is. However, some credit cards designed for those with lower credit scores also charge an annual fee to mitigate against the (theoretically) increased risk.

The annual fee is typically charged on the anniversary of the account opening. You may also have to pay a fee to add authorized users on some premium travel credit cards.

What Are the Benefits of No-Annual-Fee Credit Cards?

No-annual-fee cards could be of benefit to you, depending on your lifestyle and spending habits.

The main advantage of a no-annual-fee credit card is that there’s no cost involved in holding the card. This means that any points earned on your spending or any cardholder perks you utilize represent an immediate return on holding the card. In contrast, on an annual fee-incurring card, points earned and perks utilized will first have to offset the annual fee before they truly represent return value.

This makes no-annual-fee cards well suited to infrequent travelers who won’t use lifestyle perks, such as airport lounge access, enough to offset the annual fee. No-annual-fee cards are ideal for budget-conscious individuals looking to earn a return on their spending, while maximizing cost savings.

Features To Consider When Choosing a Travel Credit Card

People getting into the world of points and miles often overlook annual fee-incurring cards. It’s understandable. After all, no one likes to pay fees.

However, when selecting travel cards it’s important to see beyond the isolated cost of the annual fee and instead consider the degree to which the perks and earning rates offered by the card can offset its annual fee.

Here are some key features to consider when trying to select the best rewards cards for beginners.

Foreign transaction fees

If you’re considering a travel credit card, chances are that you’re planning to go abroad at some point in the future. Using your card while abroad is a great way to continue to rack up points on purchases. However, if your card charges a foreign transaction fee, then you’ll lose a significant amount of funds every time you charge a purchase to your card abroad.

For example, if you spend $3,000 on a card with a foreign transaction fee of 3% during your vacation in Europe, you’ll pay $90 in fees. This reduces your return value in points and miles significantly.

Typically, cards with annual fees opt to waive foreign transaction fees, which can be worthwhile if you’re planning on using your card abroad.

Travel insurance

Annual fee cards often offer travel insurance. This can be anything from trip delay/cancellation insurance to baggage delay/lost baggage insurance.

Usually, the higher the annual fee, the wider the range of coverage and the higher the insurance limits are on travel credit cards.

In some instances, the insurance offered by your travel credit card may be sufficient for your trip, meaning you won’t have to pay for an additional insurance policy. If that’s the case, you need to factor this benefit into your consideration of the card’s annual fee.

The best travel credit cards with no annual fee also offer travel insurance.

Airport lounge access

Airports lounges are no longer exclusive to those traveling first class or those with frequent flyer status with certain airlines. Many premium travel credit cards, as well as airline cards, offer complimentary access to specific lounge networks.

For example, a range of premium cards offers complimentary unlimited access to the Priority PassTM network. This perk has an equivalent monetary value of at least $469, which goes a long way in offsetting annual fees on most premium cards.

No-annual-fee cards don’t tend to come with complimentary airport lounge access, so factor the monetary value of this perk into your valuation of a card’s annual fee.

Welcome bonus

Welcome bonuses are one of the most lucrative aspects of travel credit cards when it comes to earning a high return on your spending and amassing thousands of points within a short time period.

Normally, the higher the annual fee, the higher the welcome bonus point boost will be. That said, the minimum spend requirement to earn the welcome bonus is often far higher on annual fee-incurring cards compared to their no-annual-fee equivalents.

When selecting a card, you want to go for the highest welcome bonus you can earn realistically while spending organically.

Bonus category earning rates

Just like with welcome bonuses, the higher the annual fee, the higher bonus category earning rates tend to be.

These bonus category rates are the way you’re going to earn points and miles on everyday purchases as well as travel-related purchases.

In some cases, it can be well worth paying a higher annual fee to unlock a greater return on your everyday spending.

Lifestyle and travel perks

Travel credit cards come with a variety of additional perks.

A popular benefit is a statement credit toward eligible travel purchases. On some premium cards, this statement credit can be well over $300, enabling you to offset the annual fee by a significant amount.

Similarly, many cards offer a statement credit that reimburses you for the nonrefundable application fees for TSA PreCheck® or Global Entry. This will give you expedited security screening and shorter wait times at immigration, effectively for free.

Other perks can include elite status with hotel chains, car rental company privileges and free night awards, among many others.

How To Make the Most of Your No-Annual-Fee Travel Credit Card

The strategy for making the most out of your no-annual-fee travel credit card is no different from that of any type of credit card.

It begins with responsible credit card usage. This means

• paying your balance in full and never accumulating interest, and
• not overspending to reach minimum spending requirements (in other words, treating your card like a debit card).

The best strategy includes maximizing your point earnings.

This starts with ensuring you open the card during a time frame in which your expenditure can naturally allow you to earn the card’s welcome bonus.

With the welcome bonus behind you, the next step is ensuring you select a card with bonus category rates that suit your spending habits. Using your card for everyday and frequent purchases ensures that you’ll earn points continually. This puts you closer to being able to use your points for travel redemptions.

Keeping your eyes and ears open for promotional offers is another key way to accumulate points.

Additionally, you should choose a card that will help you fund your specific travel goals. For example, if you always use a specific hotel chain, opening a co-branded credit card offered by that hotel would get you a lot further than opening a card with an airline you hardly ever fly with. It may sound obvious, but the closer the rewards and cardholder perks are to your lifestyle habits and travel goals, the easier it will be to earn a greater return on your spending.

In every case, familiarize yourself with your card’s terms and conditions to prevent surprises down the line.

Navigating Fee-Free Travel Rewards

If you’re a budget-conscious consumer, points and miles beginner or infrequent traveler, a no-annual-fee credit card may be your best bet.

But there is no single “best no-annual-fee credit card.” Rather, finding the best no-annual-fee travel card is a matter of selecting a card that matches your spending habits and travel goals. By doing so, you will earn points faster and be able to redeem those points for travel purchases that align with your goals.

Whether it’s an airline card like the United Gateway Card, a hotel card such as the Wyndham Rewards Earner, or an all-round travel credit card like the Capital One VentureOne Rewards card, you need to reflect on the best one for your lifestyle and goals.

And once you’ve found the best no-annual-fee travel card for you, follow 10xTravel for further tips and advice on how to maximize your point earnings and make discounted travel a reality in no time!